War in Iraq and the threat of global terrorism are looming over this week's convention and the campaign for the White House between President Bush and Democrat John Kerry.

Bush sees himself as a wartime president, and like many Hawai'i delegates who will help nominate him for a second term, he thinks the fundamental question before voters is who can keep the country safe.

"The question is, who best to lead the country in the war on terror; who can handle the responsibilities of the commander in chief; who's got a clear vision of the risks that the country faces," he said recently at his Texas ranch.

A recent survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that 41 percent of Americans rated the wars in Iraq and against terrorism as the most important issues facing Americans, while 26 percent cited the economy.

In Hawai'i, home to thousands of active-duty military personnel, veterans and National Guard and military Reserve members, the war is never far from people's minds.

Bush and Kerry have vastly different approaches to the war on terrorism and national security. Bush has a record of acting unilaterally, even pre-emptively, while Kerry stresses building networks of allies.

But ultimately events on the ground in Iraq and elsewhere could do as much, or more, to sway voters on the issue of national security than any campaign rhetoric.

Hawai'i delegates said they believe Iraq is more stable than it looks on the nightly news and that toppling Saddam Hussein was worth the U.S. invasion.

"A lot of people feel that without Saddam Hussein, we are safer," said Kitty Lagareta, a delegate from Honolulu.

If Bush can at least make it appear that Iraq is stabilizing — with declining U.S. casualty rates and vanishing front-page headlines — he will be able to argue that the war there and the larger fight against terrorism are showing signs of success.

"It's really a choice between whether you want to fight the battle here or fight the battle over there," said Linda Smith, a delegate from Honolulu who works for Gov. Linda Lingle.

The costs of fighting the war, though, are weighing heavily on Americans.

In July, 43 U.S. troops were killed in Iraq, up from 37 in June. The total killed in Iraq since the war began March 19, 2003, is fast approaching 1,000.

As troops rotate in and out of the Middle East, 2,000 National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers from Hawai'i were recently called up.

Lingle said that could help Bush win some votes in the state, which usually supports Democrats at the presidential level.

"People will feel closer to the president," she said.

Democrats disagreed, saying the Bush administration has botched the war.

"They're going to claim they've turned the corner," Kerry said in a recent speech. "But you can't cover up reality with a few empty slogans."

Kerry argues Americans are less safe because Bush has antagonized the nation's vital allies with a dangerous unilateralist foreign policy, especially in Iraq. It has led to isolation from European allies and sparked a dangerous hatred across the Arab-Muslim world.

But Hawai'i Republicans said Sept. 11 changed priorities.